Chapter 21: Hypocrite
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The sound of metal colliding echoed through the seemingly silent night. No one tried to stop them, and no one seemed to care about what was happening.
Adam felt a headache facing this little devil in frontal combat. All the attacks aimed at him were absolutely fatal and could easily kill him if he let his guard down.
As he continued to retreat, Adam crashed into a wall, which was the opportunity seized by the little devil, who laughed sinisterly.
"Hahahahaha… got you!" The little devil slash at Adam's knife-wielding arm. He quickly retreated when Adam attempted a counterattack.
Blood flowed from his delicate, white skin. Adam frowned, enduring the pain of the wide wound on his hand.
"Surprisingly, you're quite good. In the middle of the night with so little light, I wonder how you can see so clearly. Is that because of your eyes?"
A creepy eye that can see in the dark. The little devil clicked his tongue as his advantage in battle was diminished.
Adam merely snorted in displeasure. The only reason he could still hold on was because his physical strength had increased after fusing with his spirit soul and his spirit vision.
In this seemingly dark night, Adam could see everything clearly through the alternate vision Spirit Vision provided. A colorful world encompassing many colors, one that seemed so different from the real world.
Fortunately, there were no hidden or evil entities in Douluo World. He would be doomed if he accidentally saw something he shouldn't have.
The little devil looked at the bracelet on Adam's arm and looked straight into his eyes. "Let's end it here. I don't want to attract the attention of the spirits pagoda and see them come and ruin my fun. So, goodbye, blonde priest. I'm sure we'll meet again soon."
The little devil put away the knife in his hand and turned around. Before he left, he said one last thing. "Oh, I see you seem to like that pretty boy. You can have that pretty boy, I'm tired of playing with him."
Adam could only watch the little devil disappear from the shadows.
"Haahhh… That was a close call. Looks like these things really saved my life." Adam sighed softly as he looked at the bracelet with the spirit pagoda symbol on his wrist.
"He seems to know his limits. Well, a coward is a fitting description of a Beyonder from the Criminal Pathway."
But that cowardice is the reason why the Criminal Pathway can survive. For a pathway so evil and bloody, simply surviving is a challenge.
And in the original book, the three families still exist even during the era of steam and machinery. They are even more impressive than the Rose School, which was ultimately destroyed.
"But, I really lack any means to protect myself." Adam got up while brushing his clothes. He ignored the less serious wound on his hand and prioritized the serious problem he was experiencing.
"Low and mid-sequence Beyonders are too squishy. They can literally be killed by a gun or a bomb."
They're basically just human. Swords and guns can still injure them despite their bizarre abilities.
This is why Adam still chooses to cultivate as a soul master. One advantage of being a soul master is that their body and physical strength will continue to progress and escape the limitations of being injured by ordinary weapons.
Of course, soul masters can still be injured by attacks from soul guide cannons, but at least they don't die immediately if hit.
"But finding a soul guide is another matter. Maybe I can try my luck and ask the manager about this."
Adam looked back at the empty building before him and couldn't see any signs of vitality within. His hands were clenched, but his body didn't move an inch.
An act that didn't even care about human life, a devil so free in front of him. For some reason, he was also as cowardly as the little devil.
"Haha... what a hypocrite of me. If it were Klein here, he'd probably fight to the bitter end and not let that little devil get away with it."
Or he might report this to the police and let them resolve the matter, or report this to the pagoda spirit.
But the one here wasn't Klein Moretti or Zhou Mingrui.
It was Adam.
"I'm sorry. But I can't risk exposing the Beyonder characteristic in this world. If someone finds out that I know various potion formulas from multiple sequences, I'll be in danger."
His hand clenched into a fist and rested on his chest, touching his priest robe. "But your sacrifice will not be in vain. You can help me buy time until I advance and become strong enough."
Adam turned and left the outskirts of the city, returning to his home where he could cultivate even harder.
He still wasn't strong enough and desperately needed a fighting method, even if this became useless in the future.
...
The next day, Adam walked to Hongshan Academy much earlier than usual.
The morning air still felt refreshing, and the cool breeze fluttered his priestly robe.
As he turned his head, he saw two children: one with black hair and the other with silver hair.
Tang Wulin waved his hand and greeted Adam. "Adam, you're here… you're going to the academy this early?"
Adam also smiled and nodded. "Tang Wulin, yes. I just felt like going to the academy earlier today."
"Your hand… are you alright?" Tang Wulin saw the scar on Adam's hand through his slightly loose collar.
"Ah, this? It's nothing. Just an accident." Adam chuckled as he hid the wound on his hand with his robe.
"By the way, you seem in good spirits, Wulin. Is there something good happening?" Adam asked, trying to read Tang Wulin's body and facial expressions.
"Haha, well, I'm feeling really energetic today for some reason. It's like my body feels so refreshed after cultivating all night." Tang Wulin shrugged and answered honestly.
"Oh… is that so? Are you okay? I heard you've been getting beaten by that bastard for a while?" Adam tried to gauge Tang Wulin's reaction.
Well, he didn't know why that little devil suddenly stopped beating Tang Wulin. This thwarted his plan to become Wulin's personal psychiatrist.
If that little devil didn't continue this bullying, Adam would have to find another way to bring Wulin down so he could find a saving hand and have a consultation with Tang Wulin.
From the side, Adam could see a resentment erupting like a volcano in Tang Wulin's eyes. His clenched and trembling hands seemed to be holding back immense hatred.
He was like a fire, burning so fiercely and so high. The resentment he displayed in his eyes was truly becoming more and more terrifying.
As expected of Tang San's son. He truly inherited his vengeful nature. Even after many days of harassment from that little devil, he hadn't shown this much hatred.
But after yesterday, he suddenly exploded and turned into a volcano.
I wonder what caused him to become like this.
"Brother…" Na'er said softly, clutching her chest in pain.
"Na'er, don't worry. Your brother is fine. I'll become much stronger to protect you!"
Adam, who was listening from the side, finally discovered something interesting.
Oh, so that's the reason. Na'er, the silver dragon princess.
A clown in the original story, the human side of the silver dragon king.
"Haha, if you need help, you can count on me. I'll help you deal with that bastard." Adam patted Tang Wulin's shoulder and embraced him like an old friend.
Tang Wulin also laughed at this, showing a happy expression.
The hatred didn't just disappear, but was drowned out by other emotions and hidden deep within his heart.
"Interesting, if I remember correctly, Na'er will leave and be replaced by Gu Yue in three years. Maybe I won't need to do anything, but I can't be so sure."
As far as I know, Tang Wulin's personality is like a shounen protagonist, always moving forward and remaining positive at all times. Even when his sister left him, or both of his parents were gone, he somehow managed to survive.
So, he needed something that could break him down.
Adam smiled and portrayed a sunny boy persona to the two clueless kids.